Mainship Flotilla

Here are a few pictures from our trip back down the Cumberland River from Nashville to Green Turtle Bay. It encapsulated everything cruising can be.

We were traveling with interesting companions who shared stories and anecdotes. They both had chosen Mainships. Judy and Don were on a Rum Runner their 21st boat. Diana and Steve had chosen a 390 like ours as their first sleep aboard.

The float plan called for two days of travel with the first day being shorter. Cheatham Lock is several hours down stream from Nashville. The wait can be significant if there are any tows waiting. As luck would have it, there was a tow exiting the lock as we arrived. The two tows waiting to lock down were kind enough to let us go first. Don said they will often do that as it can take them awhile to get underway when they are tied to shore.

While we were in the lock, the adjoining dam sounded its siren. The flow from the dam as we exited the lock was fairly strong. It also created a debris field that we dodged for the next hour or so.

We made it to Clarksville in good time, had dinner and an early night as the plan was for a departure at sunrise.

Everything looked promising at 6:00 am so we scrambled to get ready. This resulted in my first “boat bite” of the year. I slipped in the heavy dew and fell in the cockpit. Some bruises and a limp serves to remind me that I should have at least a sip of coffee before trying to untie the lines.

We encountered fog not far downstream from Clarksville. This was not a problem for us as we have radar and AIS that show us the terrain and approaching vessels, plus transmits our location. Don had radar and AIS receiver only meaning he did not broadcast his position. This wouldn’t normally be a problem as he can see other vessels and radio them. Unfortunately his brand new radio decided not to work. One or another of us communicated with the tows on his behalf until Steve could pass him a handheld vhf radio. The fog lasted for an hour or so. Then we settled into a long day of 10 hours to reach Green Turtle Bay. We ended the cruise by rehashing the day over dinner, telling tales and jokes.